How do you find the balance between living life and living life with an illness or disability?
The difference between living life and living life with an illness or disability is living in the moment not waiting for the moment. Instead of waiting for things to fall into place, waiting for a cure, waiting for the next doctor appointment, waiting for the next test result, waiting for your child to learn the next step learn to enjoy your life now. Do not let the illness or disability be an excuse for you.
Here are some things to consider:
Renew -
Renew your commitment to your faith, your family, your finances, and your fitness. Too many times we look for excuses to not work out, to not spend time with your spouse, to not budget your finances each month, or to not stay grounded in your faith. Renew your commitment to yourself to stay committed to your life each day.
Refresh -
Refresh your mind and attitude with a positive, "I can do this" mentality. Your needs may be great or few. Your needs may be medical or behavioral. Whatever the case, refresh your mind with a positive attitude.
Revive -
Revive your goals and dreams of what you want to do, what you want to accomplish, where you want to be in spite of the disability or illness. Do not focus on what you cannot do but focus on what you can do. The challenge is to pursue life and live it.
Showing posts with label balance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label balance. Show all posts
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Thursday, December 10, 2009
A Positive Perspective
It is important to maintain a positive perspective while living with a chronic illness or disability. Life still happens; you have a family to raise, a marriage to nurture, work to be done both in and outside of the home. Here are some ways to help you stay focused on the positive.
Keep things in perspective
It is easy for the illness or disability to become the main focus of your family's life. Work on keeping the illness as only a part of your life. Do not let your life be defined by the illness or disability. Keep up with family, friends, activities, and everyday life.
Keep the family routine
Work to maintain your family's "normal" routine as much as possible. If you used to coach your son's basketball team continue coaching. Go on vacation, go to family gatherings, have the birthday parties. Schedule time together, as a family, that is not involved around the illness. Schedule time away with your spouse. Stay connected with your other children. Talk with them, listen to their needs and concerns; help them to learn how to deal with their sibling's illness. Have fun and laugh together as a family. What you do and how you act, as a parent, will be a great example for your children.
Manage the illness
Work on ways to manage the illness as you learn to cope with the day to day challenges. Stay organized with your medical information. The Coming Home Medical Organizer is a great tool to help you organize and maintain all of your medical information. Communicate with your family, doctors, schools, what your needs are. Work on things that you can control, meetings, doctor appointments, activities with your children, taking a day off. Let others help you. Create a network of support from extended family, friends, your church, and neighbors.
Helping Others
Go outside of yourself so that the illness does not eat you alive. It is easy to become so wrapped up in the "illness or disability" that you can lose sight of everything else around you. Helping others will help to take the focus off of you and put it on someone else. Make a meal for someone, volunteer at your church or school, give of yourself to someone in need.
Take care of yourself
This is a must! Talk with other parents, do something you enjoy, find someone to vent to, take breaks, spend time with your spouse. It is important to renew, refresh, and recharge your batteries so that you have the strength to carry on.
Be thankful!
Be thankful for your life and what you have. There will even come a time where you will be thankful for the illness or disability, what you have learned from it and how strong you really are. Show appreciation to others. They may have helped you through prayer, encouragement, gifts, or their time but thank them for how they have helped and supported you.
Penny Hanlon
www.cominghomeguide.com
Keep things in perspective
It is easy for the illness or disability to become the main focus of your family's life. Work on keeping the illness as only a part of your life. Do not let your life be defined by the illness or disability. Keep up with family, friends, activities, and everyday life.
Keep the family routine
Work to maintain your family's "normal" routine as much as possible. If you used to coach your son's basketball team continue coaching. Go on vacation, go to family gatherings, have the birthday parties. Schedule time together, as a family, that is not involved around the illness. Schedule time away with your spouse. Stay connected with your other children. Talk with them, listen to their needs and concerns; help them to learn how to deal with their sibling's illness. Have fun and laugh together as a family. What you do and how you act, as a parent, will be a great example for your children.
Manage the illness
Work on ways to manage the illness as you learn to cope with the day to day challenges. Stay organized with your medical information. The Coming Home Medical Organizer is a great tool to help you organize and maintain all of your medical information. Communicate with your family, doctors, schools, what your needs are. Work on things that you can control, meetings, doctor appointments, activities with your children, taking a day off. Let others help you. Create a network of support from extended family, friends, your church, and neighbors.
Helping Others
Go outside of yourself so that the illness does not eat you alive. It is easy to become so wrapped up in the "illness or disability" that you can lose sight of everything else around you. Helping others will help to take the focus off of you and put it on someone else. Make a meal for someone, volunteer at your church or school, give of yourself to someone in need.
Take care of yourself
This is a must! Talk with other parents, do something you enjoy, find someone to vent to, take breaks, spend time with your spouse. It is important to renew, refresh, and recharge your batteries so that you have the strength to carry on.
Be thankful!
Be thankful for your life and what you have. There will even come a time where you will be thankful for the illness or disability, what you have learned from it and how strong you really are. Show appreciation to others. They may have helped you through prayer, encouragement, gifts, or their time but thank them for how they have helped and supported you.
Penny Hanlon
www.cominghomeguide.com
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Am I on First?
Do you ever feel like "Who is on third?", "What is on second?", Am I on first?"
Here you are managing your illness. You have taken the time to put together your list of doctors, medications, what to take and when. You have put a schedule together of your upcoming doctor's visits, therapy appointments, etc.
Then all of a sudden life happens. Work gets busy and you go into overtime. Your children's activities increase. You and your spouse have yet to have a typical conversation over "Honey, how was your day?" let alone a kiss good morning or good night. And to top it off your doctor has ordered another medication for you to try, another round of tests for you to take, and another specialist for you to see.
Don't worry, it's ok. You are not alone. You are learning how to create a new normal. Instead of a life without "medical stuff" you now have a life that includes doctors, therapists, specialists, and medications on a daily basis. You have a new surrounding of doctor's offices, hospitals, medical staff that become a part of your daily routine.
It takes a little getting used to but you soon realize the importance of communication between you and your doctors, and organizing and managing the illness.
Penny
http://www.cominghomeguide.com/
Here you are managing your illness. You have taken the time to put together your list of doctors, medications, what to take and when. You have put a schedule together of your upcoming doctor's visits, therapy appointments, etc.
Then all of a sudden life happens. Work gets busy and you go into overtime. Your children's activities increase. You and your spouse have yet to have a typical conversation over "Honey, how was your day?" let alone a kiss good morning or good night. And to top it off your doctor has ordered another medication for you to try, another round of tests for you to take, and another specialist for you to see.
Don't worry, it's ok. You are not alone. You are learning how to create a new normal. Instead of a life without "medical stuff" you now have a life that includes doctors, therapists, specialists, and medications on a daily basis. You have a new surrounding of doctor's offices, hospitals, medical staff that become a part of your daily routine.
It takes a little getting used to but you soon realize the importance of communication between you and your doctors, and organizing and managing the illness.
Penny
http://www.cominghomeguide.com/
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Where are you?
Where are you at in managing your health care needs? Are you the one with the illness? Are you a parent or caregiver managing your child's chronic illness or disability? Maybe you are taking care of your elderly parents or grandparents and you need to help them organize their health care needs.
Where do you start? It can be very overwhelming when you start to manage the health of your family. Especially, if you are managing a chronic illness, or disability. Your days may consist of medications, therapy schedules, doctor's appointments, ordering medical supplies, medical tests, lab work, the list goes on. And this is just for one person in your family. We are not even talking about managing your household, your work, or your marriage. It can certainly feel neverending.
I remember when we entered the "medical maze" when our daughter was diagnosed with a chronic illness and severe disability. Our world was turned upside down. The constant medical care that she needed was emotionally, physically and mentally exhausting. I felt I had no control over anything.
I began to stop focusing on the illness and I started to become more involved in our daughter's care. I became a proactive parent instead of always feeling like I was on the defense. I began to organize my time in scheduling her various medical appointments. I made a list of her medications, the strength, the dosage, the form it came in, how often she received it, the doctor who prescribed it, and the date when she started and stopped it. I did this with every area of her medical needs.
I realized that once I had things written down and organized the stress was gone. I was ready, I was prepared, and I felt confident that I was doing the best job I could to take care of her. The peace of mind that comes when YOU are managing you or your loved one's health care needs is priceless!
Penny
www.cominghomeguide.com
Where do you start? It can be very overwhelming when you start to manage the health of your family. Especially, if you are managing a chronic illness, or disability. Your days may consist of medications, therapy schedules, doctor's appointments, ordering medical supplies, medical tests, lab work, the list goes on. And this is just for one person in your family. We are not even talking about managing your household, your work, or your marriage. It can certainly feel neverending.
I remember when we entered the "medical maze" when our daughter was diagnosed with a chronic illness and severe disability. Our world was turned upside down. The constant medical care that she needed was emotionally, physically and mentally exhausting. I felt I had no control over anything.
I began to stop focusing on the illness and I started to become more involved in our daughter's care. I became a proactive parent instead of always feeling like I was on the defense. I began to organize my time in scheduling her various medical appointments. I made a list of her medications, the strength, the dosage, the form it came in, how often she received it, the doctor who prescribed it, and the date when she started and stopped it. I did this with every area of her medical needs.
I realized that once I had things written down and organized the stress was gone. I was ready, I was prepared, and I felt confident that I was doing the best job I could to take care of her. The peace of mind that comes when YOU are managing you or your loved one's health care needs is priceless!
Penny
www.cominghomeguide.com
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